RENO, Nev. – The Nevada women's basketball team is set to make the trek down to Los Angeles, Calif. to compete in the Women of Troy Classic, a two-day tournament hosted by Pac-12 member USC.

The Wolf Pack will play two games in the tournament, beginning first with a matchup against the tournament-host Trojans this Friday, Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. from the Galen Center and will conclude its stay with an 11 a.m. neutral site contest against UTRGV on Saturday. Nevada enters the weekend with a 5-4 record and is coming off of a close 68-62 loss to another Pac-12 opponent in Utah. The Trojans and Vaqueros will not meet in the tournament but played an early pre-tournament game Wednesday night in the Galen Center, with the Trojans coming out victorious 80-43. USC enters the weekend with a 6-3 record, while UTRGV sits at 5-5.

Nevada senior forward Marguerite Effa will be facing her old team Friday night after grad transferring from USC to the Pack in the offseason. Effa spent four years at USC, but redshirted the 2018-19 campaign to be able to grad transfer for her final year of eligibility. She played in 62 games with the Trojans and averaged over seven minutes per game.
 
ON THE AIR
Doug Greenwald will have the call in Northern Nevada for both games this weekend on CBS Sports Radio 94.1 FM and 1450 AM with a 20 minute pregame show prior to tipoff. Fans can also tune in to listen to Greenwald's broadcast online at TuneIn.com or via the TuneIn app.
 
The game will also be live streamed on Pac-12.com.

WOMEN OF TROY CLASSIC
Nevada will play two games in this weekend's Women of Troy Classic, hosted by USC. The Wolf Pack will square off against the tournament-host Trojans and UTRGV, with Long Beach State also competing in the event.

Friday, Dec. 20
Long Beach State vs. UTRGV - 3:30 p.m.
Nevada at USC - 6 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 21
Nevada vs. UTRGV - 11 a.m.
Long Beach State at USC - 1:30 p.m.

CAN YOU ASSIST ME?
The Wolf Pack has been one of the best teams in the Mountain West in terms of sharing the basketball. Heading into Friday's game at USC, Nevada ranks fourth in the conference in assists per game, averaging 14.11 per game. The Pack has dished out at least 15 assists in four of its nine games, including a 20-assist game at Portland State. Nevada is led in the assist departmant by one of its rookies in Jená Williams. Williams has 26 assists this season to just 13 turnovers, and dished out a team-high six assists against Air Force. She is averaging 2.89 assists per game, good for 15th in the Mountain West. Williams is averaging 4.0 assists per game in her last three games played.

CAPTURE THE ESSENCE
Sophomore Essence Booker continues to be a high impact player for the Wolf Pack in her second season. She scored in double figures for the sixth time this season on Saturday, adding a game-high 15 points to the Pack's close loss at Utah and tied her career-high of three made 3-pointers. Booker is currently second on the team and ranks 14th in the Mountain West averaging 13.0 points per game. Three-point shooting has been a strong point for Booker this season as she ranks 10th in the MW averaging 1.67 made 3-pointers per game. Additionally she leads the team in free throw percentage, hitting 94.7 of her foul shots.

MILESTONE WATCH
Nevada has a few players who are approaching milestones, some of whom could hit those numbers Friday evening against USC.

• Da'Ja Hamilton - 8 points shy of 200
• Imani Lacy - 6 points shy of 300
• Essence Booker - 15 points shy of 300

DON'T FORGET ABOUT IMANI
Sophomore Imani Lacy has quietly been one of the most consistent Wolf Pack players through nine games this season. Lacy is the only Nevada player to score in double figures in eight of the nine games, posting 13 points last time out at Utah. She recorded the first double-double of her career with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Stanislaus State. Lacy currently leads the team averaging 13.2 points per game, good for 12th in the Mountain West. Additionally Lacy has been a force in blocking shots this season as she ranks first in the conference at 1.67 blocks per game. Her free throw shooting has been a point of emphasis as well, ranking seventh in the league at 71.7 percent.

UP NEXT: FINAL NON-CONFERENCE CONTEST
Nevada will break for one week before returning to the floor to host its final non-conference contest of the season. The Wolf Pack will welcome Cal Poly to Lawlor Events Center for a 2 p.m. matchup next Saturday, Dec. 28. From there it's all Mountain West action as the conference slate resumes Jan. 1 with the Pack taking on Colorado State and then Boise State the following Saturday, both on the road.